Dilbag is originally from Madhya Pradesh, and his hometown is Satna. He moved around a lot as a child. He had no fixed future plans as to what he would do after school. He studied in Kota to prepare for pre-meds. . He played Under-19 district cricket when he was in 12th grade. After preparing for his pre-med exam, he was not able to clear it by 1 percentile making him lose interest in academics. He returned back home.Dilbag‘s interest in calligraphy and art started in school when he was asked to make a banner. While he was in Kota, he started collecting magazines and understanding how typography was placed to look visually appealing. He was also drawing and doing creative work. A senior of him spotted him doing this and suggested he should try for NIFT or NID.
Dilbag was unaware of these institutes, and his senior helped him fill up the forms. He had no preparation for the test and came to Bhopal for the exam. He got shortlisted for the next round of tests. He enrolled with a coaching centre to prepare for the situation test 8 days before the exam. He got through the exam and was shocked to have made it without preparation.
He had a great time at NIFT and learned a lot. He was greatly interested in photography and practical aspects of designing like costs of fabrics, etc. He entered college without telling his parents he was learning design.
He saw Kriti Monga’s work and developed a love for calligraphy and he developed a deep interest in typography too. After college, he went to Srinagar.
He was a project intern there and helped set up the new campus of NIFT Srinagar in 2014. He did freelance work and also taught classes. He applied for PG at Ambedkar University in a course called Social Design and then backed out to get a job.
He went to Delhi, and a friend of his approached him to start a venture. He had a bad experience while working and decided not to work under anyone. In 2016, he started a fashion design company with other partners. Recently, he also started a graphic design studio in Bhopal.
Dilbag has an Instagram page with over 75k followers. He uploads pictures and videos of calligraphy. Initially, he would only upload his illustrations. He has diversified his art and skills and likes to do research about new forms of art and pick up skills. He gets a lot of DMs regarding his art, and his followers love interacting with him.
During the lockdown, he did workshops for supporting charities. He also started teaching a few of his friend’s calligraphy online and offline. He has also grown and has a team to help him. He collaborates with other artists as well. His advice to his followers is to learn skills that help one earn, not just in terms of money, but love, respect, affection. He believes that any skill through that one does not gain anything new is as good as no skill. He is the best example of turning one’s passion for a viable career.
